“Problems with your teeth can cause problems in other areas of your body, such as the development of cysts and tumors, infection and even weakening of the immune system,” says Miller, “With all the advances in dental care over the past 50 years, there’s just no need for that. We do not believe in the philosophy of ‘wait until it hurts.’ We are a proactive office and find that early intervention is less painful, more successful and less expensive.”
Miller opened her practice at 3740 East Lake Centre Drive in 2000, following her move to Quincy when she married another Quincy dentist, the late Dr. Gary Bunger. She was the only woman in her class of pre-professionals to graduate from the University of Notre Dame. Her dental degree is from Northwestern University and she served her residency at the University of Chicago. Miller taught at the Northwestern Dental School for 15 years, eventually becoming chairperson of oral and maxillofacial surgery, and she operated a private dental practice in downtown Chicago.
Extracting wisdom teeth is Dr. Miller’s most common procedure.
“The human jaw has decreased in size from early humans, who needed large jaws and more teeth for their tougher diet,” she says. “In most people today, there is just not room for that third set of molars known as the wisdom teeth.”
When the wisdom tooth becomes trapped in the jawbone and gums due to lack of space, it is considered “impacted.” Not only does this cause pain and swelling, but it also puts pressure on the roots of nearby molars.
With dental x-rays, dentists can predict very early if someone is headed for trouble so there’s no need to wait until the situation becomes an emergency. Everyone should be evaluated. Often, the ideal age to extract wisdom teeth is 17 or 18.
“In younger patients, we can perform the procedure in less than an hour,” says Dr. Miller. “We administer anesthesia so they don’t feel anything during the surgery and we give them ultra-fast medication, so they really don’t wake up in pain either. Young people tolerate the anesthesia well, they recover fast and they naturally replace the bone in their jaw more fully than patients who are older. In older patients, the longer roots on the teeth make them more difficult to extract and subject to a higher incident of nerve damage and problems with the sinuses.”
Dr. Miller not only removes teeth; she adds them as well.
“Patients may come to my office for cosmetic reasons, but the work we do corrects real pathologies. Having gaps where teeth are missing can affect the way the jaw closes as the remaining teeth shift into the gaps. Also, food can become trapped in these spaces, increasing the risk of decay and gum disease.”
Miller replaces missing teeth with dental implants, small, sturdy, titanium posts placed into the upper or lower jaw bone. After the bone has grown around the implant, they can hold a crown, bridge or over-denture just like roots hold natural teeth in place.
Miller also corrects facial misalignments that can cause symptoms like chewing problems or lips not closing together.
“I perform delicate surgical cuts in the bone and realign it for proper function,” says Miller. “In the olden days, these people would have their jaws wired shut, but today they heal quickly. Dentistry has advanced so far in just the years that I have been practicing…we’ve almost put ourselves out of business.”
If your dentist or orthodontist recommends surgery, call Miller for a consultation at 224-6789.
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